Question : EARLY DEPARTURE OF RAJDHANI EXPRESS

(a) whether on May 25, 2003 Rajdhani Express (via Patna) left Howrah Station hours before its scheduled departure causing great inconvenience to the booked passengers who were left stranded at the railway station ;

(b) if so, the number of passengers left stranded and the facilities provided to these passengers by Railway authorities;

(c) whether any inquiry has been made by the Government into the circumstances leading to the train’s departure hours before the scheduled time;

(a) if so, the details thereof and the outcome thereof; and

(e) the action taken by the Government in the matter and also to ensure that such incident do not occur in future?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI BANDARU DATTATRAYA)

(a) to (e): A statement is attached.

STATEMENT REFFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF UNSTARRED QUESTEION NO. 2578 BY SHRI RAM VILAS PASWAN, SHRI RAMJIVAN SINGH, SHRI J.S. BHAR TO BE ANSWERD IN LOK SABHA ON 07.08.2003 REGARDING EARLY DEPARTURE OF RAJDHANI EXPRESS.

(a): Yes, Sir.

(b) & (c): In March 2003, a decision was taken to cancel the 2305/2306 Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express via Patna and to increase the frequency of 2301/2302 Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express via Gaya from 5 days to a daily service. However, in view of representations and demands from various quarters, it was decided that 2305/2306 Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express will run as a weekly service and 2301/2302 Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express will run on 6 days a week as against a daily service decided earlier.

The resumption of 2305/2306 Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express via Patna was w.e.f. 19.05.2003 and press notifications for incorporating the changes in the route, timings were notified in all the leading newspapers of Kolkata, Dhanbad, Ranchi and Patna on 14.05.2003 and 15.05.2003. Despite advance notifications some of the passengers arrived at Howrah on 25.05.2003 as per the timings printed on their tickets. Approximately 111 passengers, who missed the Rajdhani Express on 25.05.2003 due to change in the route and timings, were cleared/dispatched to their destinations by attaching one AC- 2 Tier and one AC-3 Tier coaches by 231 UP Howrah-New Delhi Special train. The passengers who wanted to cancel their journey were given full refund at Howrah Station itself.

Whenever, due to any change in the route of the train, timings of the train are changed at sort notice, necessary notifications at the relevant stations and offices are displayed/announced to apprise the passengers of the actual departure/arrival of the train.